The invention relates to a hydraulic pump, in particular of the type with lobes, which is used in the food sector, for example for transporting mixtures for ice cream, and is designed for automatic internal washing and equipped with malfunction indicators.
The pump according to the invention differs from known pumps in that it integrates with a compact solution a fluid pressure actuator which provides for the movement and the axial retention of a movable cover which closes one end of the seat of rotation of the lobes of the pump itself. When the pump is in operation, said movable cover closes the seat of the lobes whereas, when the pump is to be washed, said cover is moved away from the lobes to allow effective circulation of the cleaning liquid. The pump according to the invention also differs from known pumps in the fact that it is equipped with a circuit for washing the seals on the shafts, which is automatically active when said movable cover is in the retracted position of the washing phase and which, in this state, draws the cleaning liquid directly from the suction pipe of the pump, makes it circulate behind the seals on the shafts and discharges it into the delivery zone of the pump itself. Lastly, the pump according to the invention is equipped with malfunction indicators which are absent in pumps of known type.